Do NowThe gateway to the US for

over ½ of all Americans was Ellis IslandThere, they were processed

and given health inspections, and a green card

In NY HarborToday is part of the Statue

of Liberty National Monument

1. What role do you think Ellis Island played in the growth of New York City?

Resistance to Immigration: Why?

Anti-Immigrant BiasNativism: Native born

Americans’ resistance to immigration

Know Nothing Party 1840s-80sAnti German/IrishAnti Catholic

Chinese Exclusion Act 1882Banned Chinese

immigrationWhites saw as competition

Work for cheaperGentleman's Agreement in

1907 for JapaneseJapan wouldn’t allow

emigrationUS wouldn’t ban it

Immigrant Quota Act of 1924Immigration Act 1924

Quotas on Immigration2% population of a

group already living in US 1890 could immigrate every yearIf 2,000,000 Germans

live in US in 1890, then 40,000/year are allowed to immigrate per year

If 100,000 Italians live in the US in 1890, then 2,000 allowed to immigrate per yearEx. 1900-200,000

Italians/year1924- 4,000/year

PromptUse the maps to answer the following

prompt:To what extent (meaning: how much) did the Immigrant Quota Act on 1924 reflect America’s bias against new immigrants (Italians, Poles, Russians, E. Europeans) vs. old immigrants (English, German, Irish)?

Whoa…that’s deep, yo.

Let me emphasize here that the restrictionists of Congress do not claim that the “Nordic” race, or even the Anglo-Saxon race, is the best race in the world. … What we do claim is that the northern European, and particularly Anglo-Saxons made this country. Oh, yes; the others helped. But that is the full statement of the case. They came to this country because it was already made as an Anglo-Saxon commonwealth. They added to it, they often enriched it, but they did not make it, and they have not yet greatly changed it. We are determined that they shall not. It is a good country. It suits us. And what we assert is that we are not going to surrender it to somebody else or allow other people, no matter what their merits, to make it something different. If there is any changing to be done, we will do it ourselves. (Cong. Rec., April 8, 1924, 5922) - Colorado Representative William N Vaile 

• After

Before

Same story, different century